Game change? The many faces of today's energy revolution. Part I: Technology and economy, cause and consequence

Much ado has recently been made about what has been termed the "shale gas revolution": the boom in US unconventional gas production driven, in large part, by technological advances. The fortuitous developments in the energy sector have been discussed at length in the media, not only because of their promising economical prospects for a nation some had labeled as in decline, but also for its potential to bring about profound changes in the geopolitical landscape. This series of brief papers aims to be a guide to help contextualize some of the confident claims being made in the media on today's shale gas revolution, offering a variety of factors - economic, political, security-related and environmental - to take into account in order to paint a more multidimensional view of the prospects. Both positive and negative effects stemming from the energy revolution will thus be addressed. Part I of the series provides critical background information, offering insights on the range of energy sources involved in the revolution, the technology behind their extraction and the economical factors which have propelled the energy boom - and which could present risks of their own.